Rodent

Evidence-based severity assessment of the forced swim test in the rat

The forced swim test (FST) is a traditional assay, which has been used for more than 40 years to assess antidepressant effects of novel drug candidates. In recent years, a debate about the test has focused on the assumption that...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Becker, L., Mallien, A. S., Pfeiffer, N. et al. 2023. Evidence-based severity assessment of the forced swim test in the rat. PLOS ONE 18(10), e0292816.

Wildtype peers rescue social play and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization deficits in juvenile female Cacna1c heterozygous rats

Healthy brain development depends on early social practices and experiences. The risk gene CACNA1C is implicated in numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, in which key characteristics include deficits in social functioning and communication. Recently, we reported sex-dependent impairments in social behavior and...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bogdan, R., Kayumova, R., Schwarting, R. K. W. et al. 2023. Wildtype peers rescue social play and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization deficits in juvenile female Cacna1c heterozygous rats. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17.

Structural enrichment for laboratory mice: Exploring the effects of novelty and complexity

Providing structural enrichment is a widespread refinement method for laboratory rodents and other animals in captivity. So far, animal welfare research has mostly focused on the effect of increased complexity either by accumulating or combining different enrichment items. However, increasing...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bohn, L., Bierbaum, L., Kästner, N. et al. 2023. Structural enrichment for laboratory mice: Exploring the effects of novelty and complexity. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10.

Effects of social isolation on 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations, affective state, cognition, and neurotransmitter concentrations in the ventral tegmental and locus coeruleus of adult rats

Vocal communication, cognition, and affective state are key features of sustained health and wellness, and because vocalizations are often socially-motivated, social experience likely plays a role in these behaviors. The monoaminergic systems of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the...

Year Published: 2023Topics: VocalizationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Broadfoot, C. K., Lenell, C., Kelm-Nelson, C. A. et al. 2023. Effects of social isolation on 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations, affective state, cognition, and neurotransmitter concentrations in the ventral tegmental and locus coeruleus of adult rats. Behavioural Brain Research 437, 114157.

Comparing variability in measurement of subcutaneous tumors in mice using 3D thermal imaging and calipers

Repeatable tumor measurements are key to accurately assessing tumor growth and treatment efficacy. A preliminary study that we conducted showed that a novel 3D and thermal imaging system (3D-TI) for measuring subcutaneous tumors in rodents significantly reduced interoperator variability across...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Brough, D. W., Murkin, J. T., Amos, H. E. et al. 2022. Comparing variability in measurement of subcutaneous tumors in mice using 3D thermal imaging and calipers. Comparative Medicine 72(6), 364–375.

Physiologic effects of housing rats in metabolic cages

Currently, metabolic cages (MC) are the only way to achieve serial sampling of urine and feces in rodents. However, the use of this caging creates a dramatic change from an animal's usual microenvironment. Here we sought to examine the effect...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Giral, M., Armengol, C., Gavaldà, A. 2022. Physiologic effects of housing rats in metabolic cages. Comparative Medicine 72(5), 298–305.

Exposure to an enriched environment exerts anxiolytic effects in Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats

Exposure to an enriched environment (EE) has been reported to generate multiple beneficial effects in rodents, including – among the many – amelioration of anxiety-related behaviors. The present study investigated whether living in an EE produced anxiolytic effects also in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lobina, C., Maccioni, P., Gessa, G. L. et al. 2023. Exposure to an enriched environment exerts anxiolytic effects in Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats. Behavioural Brain Research 452, 114557.

A new tool for quantifying mouse facial expressions

Facial expressions are an increasingly used tool to assess emotional experience and affective state during experimental procedures in animal models. Previous studies have successfully related specific facial features with different positive and negative valence situations, most notably in relation to...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Moëne, O. L., Larsson, M. 2023. A new tool for quantifying mouse facial expressions. ENeuro 10(2) ENEURO.0349-22.2022.

Preterm rat survival is enhanced by gestational environmental enrichment

Throughout the last decade, the estimated global human preterm birth rate was 10.6 %, with higher rates in Asia, South America, and Africa. Preterm individuals, even in adulthood, are more likely to develop cardiorespiratory, renal, and metabolic disorders. On the...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, ReproductionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Núñez-Murrieta, M. A., Coria-Avila, G. A., Martínez, A. J. et al. 2023. Preterm rat survival is enhanced by gestational environmental enrichment. Behavioural Processes 205, 104820.

Atypical play experiences in the juvenile period has an impact on the development of the medial prefrontal cortex in both male and female rats

In rats reared without play, or with limited access to play during the juvenile period, the dendrites of pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) exhibit more branching than rats reared with more typical levels of play. This suggests...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Stark, R. A., Brinkman, B., Gibb, R. L. et al. 2023. Atypical play experiences in the juvenile period has an impact on the development of the medial prefrontal cortex in both male and female rats. Behavioural Brain Research 439, 114222.